Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maspalomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,932 in Maspalomas, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maspalomas outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Maspalomas
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Maspalomas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Maspalomas

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maspalomas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Maspalomas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,932 in Maspalomas, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Maspalomas $1,932

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,595 in Maspalomas, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Maspalomas $2,595

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,258 in Maspalomas, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Maspalomas $3,258

Nosara is about 5% cheaper than Maspalomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Maspalomas sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Maspalomas by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.30 €11.83

-7.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$72.0 €64.0

-14.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.74 €9.55

-29.98%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.49 €2.22

77.11%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₡780

$2.13 €1.89

-18.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.68 €1.50

-22.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.05 €2.71

7.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.67 €3.26

21.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.13 €1.01

38.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.65 €1.47

83.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.56 €1.39

60.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.51 €3.12

1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.18 €10.83

-39.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.98 €7.99

17.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.15 €16.14

-23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.59 €2.30

-9.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.00 €1.78

-19.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.30 €2.05

108.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.70 €1.51

-5.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.27 €2.02

67.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.39 €2.13

54.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.10 €0.98

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.84 €0.75

216.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.41 €3.92

17.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.82 €6.06

191.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.80 €1.60

61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.61 €2.32

39.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.44 €3.06

-67.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$55.3 €49.20

31.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.41 €3.03

-37.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.24 €1.99

-29.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$28.29 €25.16

-69.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.73 €1.54

-12.14%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.7K €31.7K

-39.46%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.9K €25.7K

19.45%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$113 €101

-15.07%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.53 €14.70

117.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.84 €24.77

92.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.01 €8.01

-12.43%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$494 ₡221.6K

$467 €416

5.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,511 €5,792

82.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$84.1 €74.8

-35.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$22.74 €20.22

143.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.0 €80.1

-13.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$81.1 €72.2

-1.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,421 €1,264

-44.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,060 €943

-25.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,357 €1,207

190.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,156 €1,028

22.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$6,151 €5,471

12.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$5,097 €4,534

-75.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,453 €1,293

-40.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.15

173.65%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Maspalomas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Maspalomas

$1.1K 54.9% 33.5% $266

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Maspalomas

$280 14.5% 20.4% $72

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Maspalomas

$206 10.7% 2.6% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Maspalomas

$158 8.2% 15.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Maspalomas

$125 6.5% 4.2% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maspalomas

$18 * 0.9% 79.4% $69

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Maspalomas

$84 4.3% 3.9% $3.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,421 in Maspalomas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Maspalomas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $72.0 in Maspalomas. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $280 in Maspalomas – so Maspalomas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Maspalomas

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

02:36 2:36 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

33,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Maspalomas 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maspalomas

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nosara vs Maspalomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maspalomas costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,898 in Maspalomas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $467 in Maspalomas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Maspalomas at $1,932. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maspalomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $1,932 in Maspalomas. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maspalomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.